HISTORY OF THE 423 SQUADRON

CHAPTER IX

THE SEA KING ERA

New Directions

1992 was another year of exciting new activities, but the squadron also took the time to celebrate the past. After a typical start, with SKEENA, OTTAWA, TERRA NOVA, and PROTECTEUR departing for an ENCOUNTEREX with the SNFL fleet, 423 Squadron enjoyed several days in recognition of its 50th Anniversary. Many "Eagles" from the Sunderland, Canuck, and Sea King eras were in attendance, but the highlight of the May events was the address given by Air Commodore Rump, the first Commanding Officer of 423. It was truly the top war story of the many heard throughout the celebration.

New equipment, meanwhile, was keeping the Trials Det and receiving crews busy. 423 started "First of Class" flight deck certification trials on HMCS HALIFAX, the first of Canada's new patrol frigates. While these trials were unsuccessful early in the year, the "First of Class" trials on HMCS IROQUOIS, the TRUMP version of the original 280 class ship, was completed in November. The venerable "steamers" were slowly disappearing, to be replaced by state-of-the-art vessels. October became a historic month for the Sea King community, when aircraft 12401 was the first Helicopter Towed Array Support (HELTAS), or "Bravo" model, conversion to deploy. 423 Squadron was now realizing the full potential of the passive acoustic initiatives started several years earlier.

The squadron was just settling into its expanded passive ASW role, when HMCS PRESERVER was called to Somalia on OPERATION DELIVERANCE. The ship deployed with four full crews, arriving in Mombassa, Kenya on 9 December and reaching Mogadishu, Somalia four days later. The helicopters were pressed into service immediately, with the primary task of slinging supplies ashore in support of the United Nations efforts to relieve the civil war-torn country. The detachment would ultimately transport 430 tons of supplies and fly over 520 hours on the UN mission, however, the full extent of Canadian Sea King participation would not be felt until the following year.

With "steamers" gradually retiring from service and new HALIFAX class ships not yet commissioned for active duty, there were fewer decks available during 1993 than in previous years. Still, the year started with PRESERVER's HELAIRDET performing a new tasking in Somalia, that of reconnaissance for the Airborne Regiment, US Marines, and Rangers. These flights included night land surveillance utilizing the Forward Looking Infra-red (FLIR), as 423 aircraft were the only assets fitted with this equipment.

The missions to seek out arms caches and rogue Somalis had not been without danger. On the night of 21 February, a Sea King, manned by Capt S.M. Michaud, Capt J.B. Ploughman, Lt S.W. Cooper, Lt T.A. Smart, Sgt J.M.Y. "Mario" Roussel, and Sgt A.R. "Buddy" McKeigan, conducted a FLIR search northeast of Chisimayu. A review of FLIR tapes, taken on an earlier mission, had revealed what appeared to be 300 troops on a road approximately fourteen miles from the city. Capt Michaud, the crew commander, relates part of the flight to re-locate the troops:

"We were approaching the last known position of the troops when we heard radio reports of gunfire near the city. We turned toward Chisimayu and saw the flash of small arms fire and occasional tracer in the distance. As we neared the city, a rough battle line could be seen at the edge of town, and we made a pass at 300-400 feet to get the overall picture. Some ineffective small arms, then heavy machine gun fire, was directed our way, and we proceeded out over the harbour of the city to discuss the situation and what to report. To get an accurate picture of the battle, we decided on one more pass in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, the harbour was well-lit and the moon was to our backs, so the troops, alerted to our presence after the first pass, were ready and had a better target. As the fire intensified, Mario called "break left," but Buddy said not to turn in that direction because fire was coming from there as well. The co-pilot, Bruce Ploughman, started a climb straight ahead. Steve Cooper, the TACCO, stuck his head up front in time to see .50 calibre tracer cross 100 yards ahead of the nose. He decided not to look out again."

Capt Michaud and crew completed a 7.1 hour flight, observing troop movements of rival factions and conducting a perimeter search of the city airport. For this mission, and a similar one flown two nights later, Capt Michaud would accept the Meritorious Service Medal, as he put it, "on behalf of the crew."

The humanitarian efforts of the Air Det extended to medical evacuation as well, and the crews completed so many of these flights that the senior US Navy medical officer affectionately called them the "Body Snatchers."

Meanwhile, NIPIGON's Det experienced the type of flight that all Sea King aircrew hope will never happen to them. On 27 February, approximately one month into a NATO deployment in the Caribbean, Capt J.S. McLean and crew had a massive electrical failure while on a night surface search. Despite indications of multiple aircraft problems and a total lack of visual references, the crew displayed excellent crew cooperation and managed a controlled ditching. The aircraft quickly rolled inverted in moderate seas, but all crew members escaped and were picked up by their ship within an hour.

In March, ALGONQUIN set out to join the SNFL force for exercises, but was redeployed to the Adriatic Sea in support of a UN blockade off the coast of the former Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). Long-standing ethnic and political tensions in that country, previously held in check by communist rule, erupted in fighting that appeared to place European security in doubt. ALGONQUIN's Air Det was tasked to search for, and identify, merchant shipping to determine its cargo and destination. The ultimate goal was to stop war supplies from reaching FRY ports. ALGONQUIN would be relieved in September by IROQUIOS, the Adriatic mission seemingly having no end.

At the end of May 1993, the squadron continued its 50th Anniversary celebrations with a tour of Europe. LCol Sorsdahl, and other serving and retired "Eagles," returned to original 423 bases, including Oban, Scotland and Inniskillin, Northern Ireland. The CO joined the first 423 commander, Air Commodore Rump, in dedicating a crest to the squadron in the RAF church in London, England. This event was LCol Sorsdahl's farewell to 423, for on 4 August, he handed command over to LCol W.A. Watt.

On the same day that ALGONQUIN returned from the Adriatic, PRESERVER and FRASER were ordered to Haitian waters, arriving on 18 October. The years of unrest in that island nation finally reached a climax when a military dictatorship seized control from the elected President. Several nations joined the United States in imposing a naval blockade on the supply of petroleum and arms. Three Sea Kings, equipped with FLIR and GPS, flew from Shearwater to Florida to embark on the two ships. The crews flew many hours of surface search missions, "hailing" ships that passed through the blockade area to ensure compliance with UN resolutions, and gathering information for boarding operations. HMCS PRESERVER would return in November to begin preparations for a deployment to the Adriatic, while FRASER remained until Christmas, only to return to Haiti after brief holidays at home. 1993 ended with the announcement that 423 Squadron was awarded "Gulf and Kuwait" theatre battle honours for its participation in OPERATION FRICTION, the 1990 Persian Gulf conflict.

1994 began with 423 Squadron assets committed to the Adriatic and Haiti. By the end of the year, detachments on IROQUOIS, PRESERVER, HALIFAX, and TORONTO would spend time in the Adriatic. FRASER would return from Haiti at the start of April, thus ending 423 involvement in that operation. Of course, the normal routine of FISHPATs, CANFLTOPS, MARCOTs, CANLANT and NATO operations, and other miscellaneous taskings continued throughout the early '90s.

By 1994, the number of available decks began increasing again, as the new frigates entered active service. TORONTO, MONTREAL, FREDERICTON, and VILLE DE QUEBEC, all advanced towed array ships, received their first Air Dets from 423 Squadron. The type of detachment, and aircraft, deployed began to depend more on the anticipated mission or equipment fit of the ship. The squadron was now flying several variants of the Sea King, which had evolved as the maritime helicopter role expanded, and as equipment was introduced to meet the needs of specific operations. The original CH124A, or "dipper," was still being deployed where active ASW, either in classic screening and search or active support to passive platforms, was the primary requirement. The passive acoustic CH124B was generally assigned to towed array ships in its HELTAS role. New equipment, mainly introduced during the Persian Gulf conflict, was combined in a number of configurations to create contingency operation variants, or "Gulf mods," as they were affectionately known. These aircraft could be modified from dipper or Bravo model airframes, on relatively short notice, for deployments that required only a limited ASW posture. Examples of such deployments included the Haitian and Adriatic operations, where surface search and fleet support were the primary helicopter roles. Equipment installed on these aircraft was primarily FLIR, additional troop seats, and a cargo door gun mount. By 1994, GPS was being installed permanently on all Sea Kings, and detachments rarely deployed without additional gear like NVGs and stabilized binoculars.

Although the EH-101 helicopter project, designed to replace the Sea King, had been cancelled in 1993, squadron crews continued to trial the various equipment fits, and develop tactics to meet ever-expanding roles. A new aircraft was inevitable, and 423 was determined to be ready.

Final Words

The theme of the annual HS Symposium in 1988 had been "ASW Today and Tomorrow." In 1995, the theme chosen for a debate during the annual symposium was "Back to the Future." The reason behind such a shift in thinking was obvious, given the nature of deployments since the end of the Cold War. Anti-submarine warfare, however, was not dead. It simply found itself among a variety of naval roles, or rather, the HS community recognized the importance of the helicopter in an expanded spectrum of maritime warfare. Such recognition had not happened overnight, of course, yet it was not until 30 January 1995 that an official change would be made. Henceforth, the "Eagle" unit would be known as 423 Maritime Helicopter (MH) Squadron.

Col J.M. Cody, a former CO of 423 and Commander of 12 Wing Shearwater from 1993-1995, summed up his views on the new "Maritime Helicopter" title:

"So why change the name? Very simple. We are not HU (Helicopter Utility) or HC (Helicopter Composite) in the Naval designation system. Neither are we HS, which . . . translates to (Helicopter Anti-Submarine). . . As the CO of HS 423, I turned over a combat-ready Anti-Submarine Warfare squadron to my successor. This happened shortly after we returned from a 'real-world' operation that had nothing to do with submarines and everything to do with what's happening in the world today. That was in 1989. My successor, now Col Larry McWha, then deployed to the Persian Gulf with HS 423, where the squadron performed marvellously. In winning new battle honours, it made a significant contribution to OPERATION FRICTION. That campaign had everything including the kitchen sink - but it had no ASW. Haiti and Somalia are likewise excellent examples of the Fleet at work. With its embarked, organic aviation, it's done little in the way of ASW lately, but is prepared for it should the need arise.

And now to today, 423 (MH) Sqn continues to serve in the Adriatic. They do the myriad of tasks required of an embarked helo . . . but there is a difference. There is a submarine threat hidden amongst the complex waters and chaotic politics of that troubled part of the world. Hence, we do have a requirement to maintain our ASW skills."3

The "HS" community had gathered its "Elders" together, and they had unanimously endorsed the name change to "MH," a move that reflected a new world situation, and "the critical link between Helicopter and Maritime."

423 continued its support to UN operations in the Adriatic in 1995. Several Dets participated in "Victory in Europe" celebrations, honouring those who fought fifty years earlier, during port visits prior to spring exercises in the Atlantic. It was the start of a another routine year for 423 (MH) Squadron, and as always, the crews stood ready to "Search and Strike".

QUAERIMUS ET PETIMUS

DETACHMENT DEPLOYMENT SUMMARY 1995

1.      The new year started thick with fog and snow as MONTREAL set sail for the Adriatic. The HELAIRDET, lead by Capt Steve Byrne, were not dissuaded by the inclement weather and embarked via jetty hop on 4 Jan ready to take on OP SHARP GUARD as part of SNFL or Standing Naval Force Atlantic. Rising to the occasion and overcoming challenges would continue to be the theme of the month as on 18 Jan, one of the Squadron's AESOPs, MCpl Marcel Slawter, escaped through a second floor window with one of his three children after a fire broke out in the kitchen of his PMQ. His wife and other two children were out at the time. 423 showed its outstanding squadron spirit by helping to acquire for MCpl Slawter a furnished PMQ the day after the fire. The end of the month saw TORONTO and HELAIRDET return on 26 Jan from many months of hard work on OP SHARP GUARD which included 370 vessels challenged, 56 boardings and 25 diverted vessels. Maj Rick Witherden's detachment had been the first in the Adriatic to use the Bravo model or ASN-123 equipped Sea King in this role. It proved to be an outstanding success as "SPIFF", as the ac was affectionately called, flew 169 sorties for over 400 flight hours including the dramatic rescue of several Albanian refugees. Finally, on 31 Jan, HS 423 Sqn was officially redesignated 423 (MH) Sqn to better reflect the Sea King's varied roles in providing "wings for the fleet".

2.      The beginning of February was the start of a busy operational season for 423 Sqn. The 9th Feb saw the largest Canadian fleet to set sail since World War Two as ships set sail for EX STRONG RESOLVE off Norway. Detachments to sail included PRESERVER (Det Comd, Maj Dick Boehm), VILLE DE QUEBEC (Capt Jeff Brown), NIPIGON (Lt(RN) Mark Coupland), and HALIFAX led by Maj Gary Cherwonick. EX STRONG RESOLVE proved to be an invaluable multi-national exercise. It was demanding for all participants with a combination of excellent scenarios and high seas of up to 13 metres. The high sea states curtailed flying activity by putting decks out of limits for flyops; PRESERVER encountered 17 degrees pitch and 34 degrees roll. Other trials associated with the cruel sea included a near collision between VILLE DE QUEBEC and PRESERVER during a replenishment at sea. VILLE DE QUEBEC was also plagued by a cross-wired sonobuoy processor which frustrated repair efforts throughout the exercise. With EX STRONG RESOLVE complete, PRESERVER continued on to the Adriatic, after which she participated in EX LINKED SEAS and MARCOT. Meanwhile, HALIFAX headed home, while VILLE DE QUEBEC and NIPIGON took part in NATO EW trials enroute to Belgium. VILLE DE QUEBEC finally came into her own flying 59 sorties for 117 flying hours. Meanwhile, back on the homefront, the Squadron saw the introduction of the TESLA or Turbo Start 1000, which gave the Sea King a self-start capability.

3.      For 423 Sqn, March came in like a lion as the "Turbot War" of 95 started. HALIFAX HELAIRDET departed for the Grand Banks on 11 Mar for OP OCEAN VIGILANCE; an effort to dissuade foreign fisherman from plundering our waters. On 24 Mar, VILLE DE QUEBEC and NIPIGON arrived from Belgium while HALIFAX returned shortly thereafter on 30 Mar, having flown 49.9 hours over 21 sorties in support of OP OCEAN VIGILANCE. Over in the Adriatic, PRESERVER joined MONTREAL in the blockade off the former Republic of Yugoslavia.

4.      April continued the high operational tempo of March as OP OCEAN VIGILANCE was maintained on the Grand Banks. NIPIGON, the ready duty ship, sailed twice for ops on the Grand Banks, from 7-11 Apr and from 14-18 Apr. Both times, NIPIGON's HELAIRDET was ready to sail within four hours, half the time allotted in this eight hour standby. Over these two deployments, NIPIGON aided DFO officers to the tune of eight sorties and 17.7 flying hours. At the same time in Halifax, the Squadron took part in another very successful MH Symposium, an event designed to engender professional discussion and foster team spirit between the Navy and the Maritime Aviation Community. As well, in a moving testament to Shearwater's community spirit, a local youth organization raised $450 through proceeds from a teen dance to donate to MCpl Slawter who had lost his home in a fire in January. Near the end of the month, TORONTO and HALIFAX HELAIRDETs set sail for an extended deployment which included participation in OP CANADA REMEMBERS, the 50th Anniversary of VE Day with port visits in Amsterdam and Liverpool, EX LINKED SEAS, off the coast of Portugal, and MARCOT 95. These exercises would total 84 sorties and 235 hours for TORONTO and 199.1 hours over 89 sorties for HALIFAX. April also included a frightening experience for the crew of PRESERVER when a Portuguese frigate inadvertently collided with the ship during a night station-keeping manoeuvre, causing minor damage to PRESERVER. The damage to the Portugese frigate was serious enough to force her back to port, but thankfully no one was injured.

5.      May saw ops at 423 slow slightly. VE Day celebrations were well underway in Liverpool for the Battle of the Atlantic when a crew left Shearwater to conduct familiarization flights for the cadets at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. From 1-19 May, NIPIGON conducted HELTAS trials at AUTEC for a total of 37.3 hours during the course of 17 sorties. These trials were a resounding success. During a routine COREX or Crew Operational Readiness Exercise on 15 May, the crew of a 423 Sea King noticed a fishing vessel dumping fuel which they immediately reported. After further investigation, the crew was commended by the Senior Regional Pollution Prevention Officer for their keen observations and help in spotting a potential pollution violator.

6.      June proved to be an extremely busy time at Shearwater as the G-7 summit took place in Halifax. The summit curtailed shore based flying operations for much of the month as security at the airfield reached an all time high. This did not, however, dissuade 423 from fulfilling its commitment with ops continuing at a high pace offshore as MARCOT unfolded. TORONTO, HALIFAX and PRESERVER all took part in MARCOT on their return from LINKED SEAS. MARCOT proved an invaluable training experience for all involved. The fleet finally returned on 30 May to welcome crowds as some, like PRESERVER, had been away as long as five months.

7.      423 (MH) Sqn conducted a change of command parade on 5 July, as LCol Watt, after overseeing in excess of 5,200 hours of fly ops, turned over command of 423 (MH) Sqn to LCol Neil. Over 70 members of the Sqn were on parade for this auspicious occasion, and in startling contrast to the Cold War tensions of years gone by, the marching band was German Forces Luftwaffenmusikkorps 4, formerly of East Germany. VILLE DE QUEBEC set sail that afternoon to take over from MONTREAL in the Adriatic. This would turn out to be a plague filled deployment for the VILLE DE QUEBEC as a main gearbox change in Brindisi, Italy, would ground the ac for two and a half weeks as well as cause most of the HELAIRDET to be disembarked. On the upside, this would lead to an opportunity for some of the HELAIRDET's officers to try their hand at bridge watch keeping; an experience thoroughly enjoyed by all. MONTREAL returned from OP SHARP GUARD on 19 Jul, having flown 199 sorties for 475.5 hours.

8.      The month of August was dominated by the ever exciting Shearwater International Air Show. Sqn members participated enthusiastically in all aspects of the show from hosting foreign aircrew to conducting static ac displays. The show was estimated to have brought in 90-95,000 spectators and as usual was an outstanding event. Aside from the air show, things were quiet during the summer as many Sqn personnel were on annual leave.

9.      During September, the pace of operations at Shearwater continued to be slow as summer wound to an end. The month did, however, include a very successful United Way drive which was enjoyed by all participants. PRESERVER HELAIRDET did deploy near the end of the month for EX VENOM SEAS. This exercise was designed to aid in assimilating an army headquarters and command and control suite on the tanker in preparation for the possibility of OP COBRA, the withdrawal of UN forces from Bosnia. FREDERICTON successfully completed WUPS in September as well.

10.    October started slowly, but quickly built in operational tempo as IROQUOIS, MONTREAL and FREDERICTON set sail on 16 Oct for the four day exercise AMALGAM WARRIOR. At the end of the month, the fleet deployed for EXERCISE CANFLTOPS. Ships that sailed for this exercise included PRESERVER, IROQUOIS, TORONTO and MONTREAL. CANFLTOPS simulated a hypothetical conflict between two third-world countries and lent itself easily to the practice of interdiction ops.

11.    Three ships, PRESERVER, TORONTO and MONTREAL, stayed at sea for the Ops Room Officer (ORO) course as November unfolded. This course trains MARS officers to be OROs and 423 (MH) Sqn was an asset to this end. Meanwhile back at HQ on 9 Nov, 423 sent an ac and crew to Tantallon Junior High School for a familiarization visit which left the students excited and enthused. 423 Sqn also trounced 406 Sqn in their annual hockey match-up, eight to four. Later that month, from 20-23 Nov, PRESERVER travelled to Argentia, Newfoundland, and an old American float plane base, to retrieve fuel. This trip incorporated a very successful port visit to St John's, Newfoundland. At the end of the month, TORONTO took part in SALTY DIP, an exercise designed to familiarize Sea King aircrew operations at sea.

12.    As the year came to an end, FREDERICTON left for OP SHARP GUARD on 11 December and would spend Christmas on operations in the Adriatic. The 19th saw VILLE DE QUEBEC return from the Adriatic after 167 days, 150 sorties and 330.9 hours. VILLE DE QUEBEC also acted as Helicopter Element Coordinator for the Commander of SNFL three times. Thus ended 1995 for 423 (MH) Sqn an exciting experience as always.